Always
by AylaxxAvaxx
Summary: "It's okay Tenten. I'm here. I'll always be here…"  And he was. Everytime she cried in future, Neji was always there...                                           Oneshot, may later turn into a series of one shots


**This is the first time I've written a pairing with only canon characters. I'm going to write a story with these two as the main couple, with ShikaTema, NaruHina and SasuSaku as well, I need to decide who I am gonna stick Ino with, either Kiba, or Chouji, tell me your ideas.  
>Anyway, I hope this isn't too crappy. Wish me luck with this, I apologise for any OOCness, though Neji's kind of bound to be a little out of character at the end.<br>I may make this into a series of oneshots...maybe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, my Gaara plushie on the other hand...*glomps Gaara***

**Title: Always...  
><strong>

Tenten lay on the branch of a tree in the training grounds, chocolate brown eyes gazing up at the clear sky. Her matching hair was slipping out of their buns atop her head, stray strands falling from them, some covering her eyes past her bangs, others hanging past the branch.  
>Everything was so quiet, even the Hyuga sat on the branch below her. Not that him being silent was odd, he was meditating she assumed. Tenten knew her companion well, she didn't need to look to know what he was doing, and she could decipher his short replies of 'hn'. She didn't mind him being silent, in fact, she enjoyed his company. But this time, she just wished he'd speak.<br>Everywhere was so content, the only noise was the birds, and the breaths of the two teens, which had now steadied after their training session. And she hated it.  
>She oculdn't explain why she hated it. Maybe it was just because it had been exactly ten years to the day. Ten years and yet everyone was so happy. She shouldn't complain, it's not like it was important to anyone but her. But this day always had her on edge, angry over the slightest detail. Today she had been more like that than usual. She hid it well, she thought. If she didn't want to yell at anyone, it was Neji. They don't talk about things like this to each other; she didn't want to burden him with her temper.<p>

_I shouldn't have come to training today…_  
>Tenten sighed quietly, closing her eyes. She sat up before leaping down off the branch. She began to walk away when a voice stopped her.<br>"Tenten." She looked over her shoulder to see Neji on the ground, leant against the tree with his arms folded.  
>"Sorry Neji." She apologised for her lack of goodbye. "You were meditating, and I thought it was better to not disturb you just to say goodbye."<br>"You seem in a rush." He pointed out emotionlessly.  
>"Yeah… I, uh, I need to see Ino about something." She came up with the best excuse she could think of, before waving her hand and putting on a fake smile. "I'll see you later, Neji." With that she ran off, leaving him stood there.<br>"Hn." Neji observed his teammate carefully, noting the slight stammer over her words. He knew her well enough to know when something was wrong. He knew that she tended to act differently on this day every year, but he had never asked why. He thought about it now, because she seemed more agitated than usual, cursing herself everytime she failed to avoid one of his blows, or failed to hit the target of one of her own. That in itself was reason for concern, she never misses.  
>Neji stood there for a little while longer, which, when he looked at the sun, seemed to be about an hour. He had been mulling a lot of things over, including whether to approach the subject with Tenten. While it is true that he had never had a conversation where they talked about how they felt, they still knew everything about each other. Tenten had an odd way of knowing when he was troubled, even though he remained his calm, stoic self. Though he had never outwardly said it like she had, Neji could tell when something was bothering the kunoichi as well.<br>With his mind made up, he set off to find his training partner.

It didn't take long for him to find the blonde kunoichi Tenten had told him she was going to find. She was at a resteraunt with Choji, no doubt to fuel the boy's appetite. It took merely about a millisecond for Ino to see him in the doorway.  
>"Hey Neji!" Ino waved at him. Choji looked up from his food, Shikamaru peered round from the side of the booth.<br>"Hello." Neji nodded to them, walking over. He then saw another he hadn't seem earlier, Temari of the sand was sat beside Shikamaru, slightly closer than Neji would have thought they would have been. But then again, he remember Naruto mentioning one day he thought there was something between the two, but he disregarded it.  
>"Afternoon, Neji." Shikamaru greeted him, studying the nineteen year old's face. "What's up?"<br>"I'm looking for somebody." He told the boy.  
>"Tenten?" Temari asked. Ino laughed loudly at the question.<br>"Isn't he always? Either that, or she's looking for him." The eccentric blonde smirked, but Neji just closed his eyes.  
>"Yamanaka, she said she was coming to find you." He informed her, Ino froze.<br>"Me? I haven't seen her. I haven't spoken to her in over a week." She explained, looking at Choji, who was just as confused.  
>"I've seen her." Shikamaru announced, taking a large gulp of his drink. "About half an hour ago, when me and Temari got here."<br>"Did you see where she went?" Neji asked.  
>"Toward the cemetery, I think." Neji nodded and gave him his thanks, before exiting the restaurant.<br>"He looked, edgy…" Chouji commented.  
>"Yeah. I'm sure he'll sort it when he finds Tenten." Shikamaru commented offhandedly, returning to his meal, with a nod off of his friends.<p>

Tenten was stood, studying the names on the gravestone. Trying not to let the tears fall. It was like this every year. Every year since she got the news. Since her parents hadn't come back from that mission.  
>She came here every year, but she never cried. On the tenth anniversary of their deaths, it was harder than ever before. She understood how badly she had been affected by all the holding back. Of the hiding how she felt. She was breaking apart. She choked on unshed tears as she dropped to her knees.<br>She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't. Or at least, that's what she told herself.  
>"Tenten…" She stiffened at the voice. It was Neji's. She spun around, trying to stand. But she lost her balance and tripped, falling right into him.<br>Neji caught her easily. And she couldn't keep herself up anymore, her legs gave way and Neji dropped to his knees in an attempt to steady her.  
>"Tenten, what's wrong?"<br>She looked at him, tears in her eyes.  
>"M-My parents."<br>"Aren't your parents…." He found himself unable to finish the sentence, and just continued to look firmly into her chocolate eyes.  
>"They died, ten years ago today, out on a mission."<br>"I see…" He pulled her closer to him. "You can cry. It's okay." He told her, trying to let his concern into his voice.  
>"I-I-" She couldn't finish and found herself crying into her teammate's shirt. Tears streaming down her cheeks. "N-Neji…"<br>"It's okay Tenten. I'm here. I'll always be here…"

And he was. Everytime she cried in future, Neji was always there.

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><p><strong>Well, there you go!<strong>

**Review please! Tell me if it's any good, and if I should put up the other ones I have ideas for!**

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><p><strong>Gaara:<strong> You have too many ideas, what about my story?**  
>Me: <strong>I'll get there. I've nearly finished chapter two...**  
>Shikamaru: <strong>Which has more of me in it.**  
>Gaara: <strong>Hn.**  
>Me: <strong>Shika, go back to your hole! Gaara, don't go all Neji on me!**  
>Byakuya: <strong>And what about our story?**  
>Me: <strong>I'll get to it! Byakuya, I am low on bleach muse. Gaara, I don't know why you are so bothered, you're not in it all that much apart from flashbacks and later chapters, but you're in most of part II...**  
>Gaara: <strong>Exactly. I want my part.**  
>Shikamaru: <strong>Do I get anything like this fic?**  
>Me: <strong>Oh yeah, you will, you and Temari :)**  
>Gaara: <strong>My sister...**  
>Me: <strong>My story. Anyway, time to shut up!  
>Hope you enjoyed the fic. More to read soon hopefully!<strong><br>Naruto: **RAMEN?**  
>Me: <strong>¬¬... No.**  
>Gaara: <strong>She said 'read'...**  
>Naruto:<strong> BUT I WANT RAMEN!**  
>Me: <strong>*locks them all in a room and feeds the key to Shukaku* keep that safe... Laterz guys!**  
><strong>


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